The Labour Party retracted its endorsement of its candidate in the Rochdale by-election following the emergence of "new information" regarding alleged comments made by him.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Azhar Ali was accused of attributing criticism of a pro-Palestinian Labour MP to "people in the media from certain Jewish quarters" and suggesting that Israel had plans to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza and seize land. It was reported that Mr Ali was suspended from the party pending an investigation.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour Party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election.
"We understand that these are highly unusual circumstances but it is vital that any candidate put forward by Labour fully represents its aims and values. Given that nominations have now closed Azhar Ali cannot be replaced as the candidate."
Mr Ali's candidacy for the upcoming by-election later this month had drawn scrutiny after the Mail On Sunday revealed that he had stated at a Lancashire Labour Party meeting that Israel deliberately allowed a Hamas atrocity to occur to pave the way for an invasion of Gaza.
Although Mr Ali had previously issued an "unreserved" apology for his remarks, describing them as "deeply offensive, ignorant, and false," pressure mounted on Sir Keir to take action in line with his commitment to combating antisemitism within the party. Subsequently, on Monday evening, additional comments surfaced, prompting the Labour Party to withdraw its support for the candidate.
Following Mr Ali’s suspension, a second Labour parliamentary candidate was suspended following remarks made about Israel during a private meeting of Labour activists in Lancashire.
Graham Jones, Labour's candidate for Hyndburn, was suspended by the party after a recording surfaced of him using explicit language in reference to Israel and suggesting that Britons who serve in the Israel Defence Forces should face legal consequences.
